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Back to Medical Articles
Saturday, 19 April 2003 05:30 PM GMT
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Both CDC & WHO have received reports of outbreaks of a severe form of
pneumonia worldwide.
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 related discussion
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In March 2003 the WHO and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
issued a global alert over cases of atypical pneumonia that do not appear
to respond to treatment. This happened after outbreaks have occurred in
several counties over the past month. Countries include Canada, China, Hong
Kong Special Administrative Region of China, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand,
and Viet Nam.
SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a form of lung injury characterized
by increased permeability of the alveolar-capillary membrane, diffuse alveolar
damage, and the accumulation of proteinaceous pulmonary edema and rapidly
leads to pulmonary failure.
Cause
Just last month it was not known if this disease is caused by a virus
or a bacteria. Now it has been established that the SARS virus is a new
coronavirus unlike any other known human or animal virus in the Coronavirus
family. Because the virus is new, much about its behaviour is poorly understood.
Spread
Spread seems to be person-to-person, with a number of cases
in Asia being reported among health care and other hospital workers, as
well as household contacts of the patients.
That pattern of transmission is typical of any flu-like illness. The average
incubation period between exposure to a sick person and onset of symptoms
is about three days. The CDC put the incubation period at between two
and seven days.
As of today (19th of April, 2003), a cumulative total of 3547 cases
with 182 deaths have been reported from 25 countries. Compared with yesterday,
12 new deaths, all in Hong Kong SAR, have been reported.
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The main symptoms of SARS as outlined by WHO
Suspect Case
A person presenting after 1 February 2003 with history of :
high fever (>38oC)
AND
one or more respiratory symptoms including
cough, shortness of breath,
difficulty breathing
AND one or more of the following:
close contact with a person who has been diagnosed with SARS
recent history of travel to areas reporting cases of SARS
Probable Case
A suspect case with chest x-ray findings of pneumonia or Respiratory
Distress Syndrome
OR
A person with an unexplained respiratory illness resulting in death,
with an autopsy examination demonstrating the pathology of Respiratory
Distress Syndrome without an identifiable cause.
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In addition to fever and respiratory symptoms, SARS may be associated
with other symptoms including: headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite,
malaise, confusion, rash, and
diarrhea.
Early laboratory findings include low platelet and white blood cell counts.
In some cases, those symptoms are followed by pneumonia in both lungs, sometimes
requiring use of a respirator.
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| Coronavirus from SARS isolated in FRhK-4 cells. Thin
section electron micrograph and negative stained virus particles |
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Lab Diagnosis
Researchers in several countries are working towards developing fast
and accurate laboratory tests for the SARS. However, until those tests have
been adequately field tested and shown to be reliable, SARS diagnosis remains
dependant on the clinical findings of an atypical pneumonia not attributed
to another cause and a history of exposure to a suspect or probable case
of SARS or their respiratory secretions and other bodily fluids. This requirement
is reflected in the current WHO case definitions for suspect or probable
SARS .
Status of laboratory tests currently under development
1 Antibody tests
- ELISA (Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbant Assay) detects antibodies in the serum
of SARS patients reliably as from day 21 after the onset of clinical symptoms
and signs.
- Immunofluorescence Assays detect antibodies in serum of SARS patients
after about day 10 of illness onset. This is a reliable test requiring the
use of fixed SARS-virus, an immunofluorescence microscope and an experienced
microscopist. Positive antibody tests indicate that the patient was infected
with the SARS -virus.
2 Molecular tests (PCR)
PCRcan detect genetic material of the SARS -virus in various specimens (blood,
stool, respiratory secretions or body tissue). Primers, which are the key
pieces for a PCR test, have been made publicly available by WHO network
laboratories on the WHO web site . The primers have since been used by numerous
countries around the world. A ready-to-use PCR test kit containing primers
and positive and negative control has been developed. Testing of the kit
by network members is expected to quickly yield the data needed to assess
the test’s performance, in comparison with primers developed by other WHO
network laboratories. Existing PCR tests are very specific but lack sensitivity.
That means that negative tests can’t rule out the presence of the SARS virus
in patients. Various WHO network laboratories are working on their PCR protocols
and primers to improve their reliability.
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Coronavirus from SARS isolated in FRhK-4 cells. Thin
section electron micrograph and negative stained virus particles |
3 Cell culture
Virus in specimens (such as respiratory secretions, blood or stool) from
SARS patients can also be detected by infecting cell cultures and growing
the virus. Once isolated, the virus must be identified as the SARS virus
with further tests. Cell culture is a very demanding test, but the only
means to show the existence of a live virus.
Treatment of SARS
Currently there are no specific therapies. However, the use of physiologically
targeted strategies of mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit management
including fluid management and glucorticoids is the only supportive therapy
available. Until more is known about the cause of these outbreaks, WHO recommends
that patients with SARS be isolated with barrier nursing techniques and
treated as clinically indicated. At the same time, WHO recommends that any
suspect cases be reported to national health authorities.
WHO Management Guidelines
These guidelines are constantly reviewed
and updated as new information becomes available. They are compiled to provide
a generic basis on which national health authorities may wish to develop
guidelines applicable to their own particular circumstance.
Revised 11 April 2003
Management of Suspect and Probable SARS Cases
- Hospitalize under isolation or cohort with other suspect or probable
SARS cases (see
Hospital
Infection Control Guidance )
- Take samples (sputum, blood, sera, urine,) to exclude standard causes
of pneumonia (including atypical causes); consider possibility of coinfection
with SARS and take appropriate chest radiographs.
- Take samples to aid clinical diagnosis SARS including:
White blood cell count, platelet count, creatine phosphokinase, liver
function tests, urea and electrolytes, C reactive protein and paired sera.
(Pair sera will be invaluable in the understanding of SARS even if the
patient is later not considered a SARS case)
- At the time of admission the use of antibiotics for the treatment
of community-acquired pneumonia with atypical cover is recommended
- Pay particular attention to therapies/interventions which may cause
aerolization such as the use of nebulisers with a bronchodilator, chest
physiotherapy, bronchoscopy, gastroscopy, any procedure/intervention which
may disrupt the respiratory tract. Take the appropriate precautions (isolation
facility, gloves, goggles, mask, gown, etc. ) if you feel that patients
require the intervention/therapy.
- In SARS, numerous antibiotic therapies have been tried with no clear
effect. Ribavirin with or without use of steroids has been used in an
increasing number of patients. But, in the absence of clinical indicators,
its effectiveness has not been proven. It has been proposed that a coordinated
multicentred approach to establishing the effectiveness of ribavirin therapy
and other proposed interventions be examined.
Definition of a SARS Contact
A contact is a person who may be at greater risk of developing
SARS because of exposure to a suspect or probable case of SARS. Information
to date suggests that risky exposures include having cared for, lived with,
or having had direct contact with the respiratory secretions, body fluids
and/or excretion (e.g. faeces) of a suspect or probable cases of SARS.
Management of Contacts of Probable SARS Cases
- Give information on clinical picture, transmission, etc. of SARS to
the contact
- Place under active surveillance for 10 days and recommend voluntary
home isolation
- Ensure contact is visited or telephoned daily by a member of the public
health care team
- Record temperature daily
- If the contact develops disease symptoms, the contact should be investigated
locally at an appropriate health care facility
- The most consistent first symptom that is likely to appear is fever
Management of Contacts of Suspect SARS Cases
As a minimum the following follow up is recommended:
- Give information on clinical picture, transmission etc of SARS to
the contact
- Place under passive surveillance for 10 days
- If the contact develops any symptoms, the contact should self report
via the telephone to the public health authority
- Contact is free to continue with usual activities
- The most consistent first symptom which is likely to appear is fever
Most national health authorities may wish to consider risk
assessment on an individual basis and supplement the guidelines for the
management of contacts of suspected SARS cases accordingly.
Removal from Follow up
If as a result of investigations, suspected or probable
cases of SARS are discarded (no longer meet suspect or probable case definitions)
then contacts can be discharged from follow up.
Image Source:
Department of Microbiology,
The University of Hong Kong and the Government Virus Unit,
Department of Health,
Hong Kong SAR China
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